Should new refs have a identifier?
 

Just a thought. Would it help the crowd and rookie refs to have an identifier on their shirt that identifies them as newbies? Would all be more tolerant of potentially incorrect calls?

I think that would have the opposite effect. Bad idea.

No I think it would cause the crowd to question every call they didn't like and blame it on the ref being a rookie. Plus I have called with some rookies that were very good and didn't act like rookies - no need to single them out IMHO

The crowd will get on an official regardless of experience...all an identifier would do is give more ammo.

No.

H E L L no. Every coach would use it as an excuse as to why they lost the game that any rookie was working. IMO, I believe it would cause most coaches to behave WORSE because they knew a rookie would be less likely to ring them up.

Nor As Dumb As They Look ...
 

Agree. Here in our little corner of the Land of Steady Habits, rookie officials already have an identifier, they don't have an IAABO patch. Coaches, and fans, can, and do, pick up on this. They're not as dumb as we say they are.

Totally agree ... a very bad idea.

Nope. Bad idea. As others have said, it would have the opposite effect.

BillyMac is also correct that many fans and coaches pick up on the IAABO crest, if it's in our area.

I know that when I got the IAABO patch, I did notice that I received less "slack" surrounding perceived missed calls.

"Hey ref! Did you switch shirts? You're worse than (s)he is!"

Kinda like the old "Registered Official" patches in Ohio years ago...more hassle than they are worth.

Nope, I am a rookie I've been one for the last seven years and counting..

A bad idea in the history of bad ideas.

Why not do something like that to new coaches instead?

New refs come with an identifier:D

You're kiddin', right?

Not only that, but can you imagine the coaches wanting to scream at the rookie's partner everytime there is a call "Help him out!!"

Horrible idea all around.

Maybe they could wear pants with belts? :D

"Either your partner is a Rookie or they are acting 'concussed'!" - So it might be a good idea!!:D

Agreed.
 

... Flex belt hanging out of pant leg! :D

+1

In some areas, that is acceptable. And when I lived in Maine, it was Maineiac. ;) Welcome to the forum.

Nice to have another Mainer on the forum. Welcome!

As for the OP, if you're ever in a department store, sometimes you see an employee marked "trainee." I always feel bad for those folks. I don't see the point of that kind of mark on someone. It's just saying "look at me" in a negative light.

What's just as crazy, IMO, is college hockey officials having to put their names on the back of their jerseys. :eek: Someday, someone will have to explain that one to me.

Gray shirts...
 

...until they earn their stripes

:D The belts can serve as "training wheels". Once you learn what you're doing, you earn the right to wear pants without belts. The belt gives everybody the reassurance the rookie's pants aren't going to fall in the middle of a game.

Just to be safe
 

There's a "belt and suspenders" joke in here somewhere...

Another identifier
 

I just thought of another thing that marks the rook: He's the one in the crew that brings his girlfriend!

Perhaps. My wife enjoys going to my football and basketball games. She's been doing that since I was working baseball and she was my girlfriend.

Ipso facto:D

I'm still new to the basketball gig but have been officiating in some form for quite a few years now. She hasn't gotten tired of it yet. She finds the fans to be rather entertaining I think. ;)

My wife never has gone to any games I have officaited. My daughter has but only because she may know someone on the team or have friends at the particular school.

I don't really want my wife there - she would probably be the one yelling about bad calls :o

Good fans know the new refs.

I went to a game in my 2nd year of doing varsity games and during the pre game warm-ups, I had fans behind me saying _ "He's not wearing his glasses, he must have contacts.." they really know who we are....

Methinks a fan boy started this thread.
 

This thread has been raging for over twenty hours now and the originator of the thread has yet to make another appearence.

Yes, it is a very very bad idea. And by the way, I love gray shirts and wish that the NFHS and NCAA would go to them exclusively.

MTD, Sr.

This is true; my first year in IAABO, I was patched but working a game without a patch (my true rookie partner had his patch on). One of the fans, right before half time, "go back to school and get your patch!" I really wished I had a patched shirt in my suitcase to switch, just for effect.

Just An Idea ...
 

... to go commando, and eventaully you earn the right to go pantless.

This concept of a patch equals credibility is about as dumb as it gets. NCAA officials don't wear patches during the regular season. I'm *thrilled* we wear no patches here in WI for HS games.

Yeah, it was odd to me, coming here from Iowa where state patches were authorized but not worn.

As I mentioned it was just a passing thought as I was reading some other thread that was discussing the concern of a new person on the court. After reading the first few comments, I realized how naive I was in thinking that audiences would be that forgiving... Hence I did/do not have much more to say http://forum.officiating.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

I take issue with just about anything that draws even one more iota of attention to an official. Sorry to say, that includes pink whistles. Even though my mom is a 30 year cancer survivor, I don't like the officials using them. The players, otoh, is fine by me. The game is all about the players, imo.

But chicks dig the stripes.

Sorry, but we're part of the game, too. I've never bought this line of thinking -- not for a minute. I'm not out there to be noticed or to showboat, but I'm not out there to hide in the shadows, either.

Apologies To Nathaniel Hawthorne ...
 

+1

Players, coaches, and officials always affect the outcome of a game, albeit in varying degrees. The belief of "never should affect" is naïve and myopic.

Quite the Opposite!!!
 

If any "identifier" is needed on the shirt, it should be for the veteran official who . . .
- detests working a lower level game since he thinks he deserves only varsity assignments
- refuses to arrive early enough to do a good lockerroom pregame with partner(s)
- hasn't cracked a rulebook or casebook since the three point arc was inaugurated
- has no clue what a primary area of responsibility is
- makes his mechanics a means whereby to call attention to himself (cf. "Mechanics Pet Peeves")
- took that assignment knowing full well he's got a conflict of interest with one of the teams
- doesn't care about helping to make his partner(s) better
- (add more here yourself . . . . . . )

THAT'S the guy that needs an "identifier"! :rolleyes:

I don't agree with the players having whistles.

Yeah, I don't care what color whistle they have; it's a bad idea.

So wrong you are...So wrong you are

I can see it now, much like a "rookie stripe" on NASCAR, a yellow bar on the back of the shirt. Yeah, that will help!

To some degree I agree with you. I am not a fan of the of wearing any patch or flag, even though I'm as patriotic as anyone. I also am not a fan of a different whistle even though I wore a Livestrong band for many years.

However, I absolutely disagree that the game is all about the players. I never quite understood when people say that the best games are the ones where no one knows who the officials were. We are out there to make the tough calls whether we like it or not.

I think it was Ed Hightower who said, "Be in control of the game without controlling the game". Words to ref by.

That's not what the phrase means, and those who think it does are the ones giving the statement a black eye (so to speak).

The statement deserves a black eye. It's usually trotted out by coaches who would prefer we swallow our whistles rather than make a tough call (against their team).

The game belongs to all of us. I'm not playing, but the game doesn't happen without officials.

Of course, I agree with what mj says, too:

"One of the really wrong theories about officiating is that a good official is one you never notice. The umpire who made that statement was probably a real poor official who tried to get his paycheck and hide behind his partners and stay out of trouble all his life. Control of the ballgame is the difference between umpires that show up for the players and the managers." - National League Umpire Bruce Froemming